Semiconductor devices continue to increase in size and power-density, resulting in a number of challenges for system designers. One of the primary challenges relates to microelectronic device cooling—i.e., how to efficiently remove heat generated by the device during operation. These heat transfer challenges are even more severe in vertically-intergrated devices—i.e., components that consist of multiple stacked layers substrates and devices. In many cases, the vertically-integrated devices are only microns or tens of microns away from each other in the stack.
When two or more devices are stacked vertically (i.e., in the z-direction), the heat generated by power devices within the stack will affect other devices within the stack, as heat may be conducted in the z-direction, not just along the x-y plane (as is the case with traditional devices.) This causes significant temperature increases in the devices located above the heat generating devices, resulting in degraded electrical characteristics and lower reliability.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods that improve heat transfer in vertically-intergrated devices by overcoming these and other shortcomings of the prior art. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.